


Mechatale

by Cherokee_Goat_Mom



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Timeline/Universe, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Mechatale, Platonic Alphys & Mettaton, Platonic Alphys & Sans, Platonic Bonding, Platonic Relationships, Possible Character Death, Spoilers - Undertale Genocide Route, slight shipping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-15 06:56:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14785647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherokee_Goat_Mom/pseuds/Cherokee_Goat_Mom
Summary: “Alphys…by now you should know…you can’t escape me...”“there’s a lot you don’t know, Alph, and it won’t make a lot of sense. just try to stay with me, kay...?”Resets. Genocide. The dust of a thousand monsters. Over and over and over, the killing didn't stop. The human kills and then does it again. And again. And again.And now Alphys remembers it all.





	1. Dreams and Revelations

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this work. The idea for Mechatale was inspired by @Fandom_Finder55 and it would be worth your time to check out her work sometime. Without further adieu, let the chapter begin.

Alphys floated in a dark void. There was absolutely nothing around her. Silence pushed on the edges of her subconsciousness. Then a hum began. Disembodied whispering surrounded her on all sides, no louder than a soft echo. She saw blue below her. The blue was a blur as she hit the surface and the dream faded to all black. Another dream began, but she was in her lab this time. She identified the floor as the blue blur that she had crashed into in the previous dream. The lights flickered and red alarm lights flashed. Alphys felt her dream self trying to acclimate to the disorienting light. All of a sudden, Alphys’ blood ran cold. _Swish_. _Click_.

  
A human appeared just beyond her field of vision. The silver glint of a knife held in their hand. A childish but insane giggle hit the air, echoing slightly off the walls. Alphys registered her dream self being filled with grief. Then clouded with anger. Dream Alphys picked up a remote and pressed several switches. Magic attacks surrounded the human on all sides and hit them repeatedly. Their HP suffered with every attack that met its mark.

  
“ _Alphys_ … _by_ _now_ _you_ _should_ _know_ … _you_ _can’t_ _escape_ _me_ ,” the dissonance and insanity that the voice held sent chills running through Alphys. The dream seemed to blur through a couple of minutes of the battle. Dream Alphys was now cornered on the balcony. The childlike figure with red eyes and a maniacal smile loomed over Dream Alphys with her knife held high. Suddenly, with a burst of anger, fear, and desperation, Dream Alphys screamed. With a vicious shove, the knife-wielder flew off the balcony. Their heart rose out of their body. Red pulsed from the soul, but a black flame wreathed around the edges. The soul shattered into a million pieces and the world glitched again.

  
Alphys woke up breathing heavily. Sweat gathered on her brow as her body shook from what she saw. Picking up her phone from the table, a few clicks from shaking claws were followed by a soft _bing_ as the message was sent.

  
A flash of blue appeared a few seconds later, and bony arms wrapped themselves around Alphys. Still hugging her, Sans whispered comforting words to her. Alphys recounted the dream to Sans in between fits of sobbing, hyperventilating, and uncontrollable shaking. Sans was silents for a few seconds before he breathed out a shaky laugh and then sighed.

  
“y’know, i never thought i’d get to this point, Alph, but there’s somethin’ i gotta tell ya,” Sans shifted slightly, but his ever present grin faded a bit.

  
“W-what is it?” Alphys asked, she had a feeling of anticipation, something important was about to happen, she knew it.

  
“there’s a lot you don’t know, Alph, and it won’t make a lot of sense. just try to stay with me, kay...?”

 

****************************

 

As Sans explained resets and timelines, Alphys stared at him. ‘ _How long has he been keeping this from us?_ ’ She let him finish explaining before letting her mind absorb the information. Her entire worldview was changed. ‘ _Resets? Timelines? How does he keep everything straight?_ ’ Even with her…ability… Alphys’ head spun with the implications.

  
“S-Sans… how long have you been stuck i-in an endless time loop of resets? You said y-you’re the only one who remembers? H-how did y-you…” Alphys trailed off. Blue tears clustered around Sans’ eyes. A few trailed magical residue on Sans’ cheekbone as they dripped down. He laughed forcefully in an exhausted tone.

  
“i…i don’t know for sure, maybe 70 or so genocide runs? i haven’t seen a pacifist run in a _while_. i barely remember the last time Chara didn’t take over Frisk.” Sans laid down beside Alphys on her bed and gazed at the ceiling.

  
Alphys followed suit and laid on the bed on her back. “Sans…you’re n-not alone in this anymore okay? This time…this run…it’s going to be different, I swear to you,” Alphys vowed, determination in her voice. She wasn’t going to let Sans suffer anymore.

  
“i’ve never really tried to change what happens or what happened before. i have no clue what happens next, Alph.” Sans admitted, folding his skeletal arms under his skull.

  
“That’s a good thing. It means things will change this time. This time is _different_. This time, she _won’t_ get past me,” Alphys felt her soul being filled with a sense of Justice. Fitting. She was going to bring the demon to justice for what she had done. Chara would be in for the surprise of a lifetime.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is the beginning of Mechatale, an AT (alternate timeline) that I created. I am currently working with another author on the next couple of chapters for this AT. I don't have a set update schedule but you won't have to wait too long for the next chapter. Please tell me your thoughts and what you would like to see, I am always open to constructive criticism and friendly suggestions. I hope you have a nice rest of your morning/day/night  
> -Cherokee_Goat_Mom


	2. New Beginnings and Innovations

 

The “ _ game over _ ” screen materialized and Chara’s scream of rage echoed through the empty darkness. Chara hit the “ _ continue _ ” button and the scene changed. Chara’s jaw dropped and her blood boiled at the scene that awaited her. 

“ _ (the shadow of the ruins looms above, filling you with determination.) _ ”

Chara’s fists clenched tightly. A growl rose in her throat. Her eyes glowed red in rage. She gritted her teeth and slowly let out a breath. Instead of the scene she expected—at the entrance of Alphys’ lab again—she had appeared here. Back in the ruins. Back at the start. 

Chara viewed her plan to complete the entire genocide run without saving. She was debating abandoning the plan, but she supposed that no plan would be complete without some setbacks. Chara mulled over the new developments of her last run. So it turned out that Alphys did have a battle sequence. Funny, she didn’t think Alphys had it in her.   

A cruel smile formed on Chara’s face. Well, if Alphys could change the rules, so could she.  _ Whoosh. ZLASH _ . Chara’s wicked grin was plastered across her face. Twisted childish delight came from her as a giggle. Toriel’s glazed over eyes fixed themselves on Chara and her features became set. Her legs wavered unsteadily as she forced herself up from her knees. Blood trickled from the long gash in her chest, but she gazed evenly at the fiend. 

“I won’t die on my knees to the likes of you, child. I’ll stand on my feet and die as a queen. I am Queen Toriel Dreemurr of Monsters. And you will not survive the Underground, demon. You can be sure of that.” Toriel’s physical body was blown away, but she never broke eye contact with Chara. 

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Chara cackled, stepping through Toriel’s dust. She was going to take her kiddy gloves off this run. If you’re going to mess up the game in one way, you might as well try to glitch the rest. 

 

**************************************************

 

“Mettaton, how’s that Synchrotron doing? Have we converted enough electricity to power the bioreactors yet?” Alphys questioned her friend. She typed away at her keyboard.  _ Clickety-clack _ .  _ Clack-clack click _ . 

“We’re well on our way darling, but these things don’t happen overnight,” Mettaton’s voice reached Alphys’ ears. 

“I know Mettaton, I just really need these devices done in the next two days,” Alphys sighed. She has been up day and night with the amalgamates and Mettaton, everyone in the True Lab working on defenses for Hotland. The most impassable defenses she can make. After she’d secured Hotland, she’d secure Waterfall, and then Snowdin. She doubted that she could save Snowdin in time, but she prayed that she could. An image of Undyne being torn to shreds blazed in her mind. 

Alphys violently flinched back, falling out of her chair. She closed her eyes in preparation for her health points being taken. Instead, she was caught mid-fall. Her head tilted up to see familiar eye sockets. 

“nice of you to  _ drop _ in, Alphys,” Sans chuckled. Alphys smiled with her eyes closed and let out a sigh of relief, using her tail to push herself back up again. 

“Nice to see you, Sans.” Alphys hugged the skeleton, her heart still racing. 

“back at ya, Al. i haven’t seen you all that much this run. what are you even doing down here?” Sans glanced around True Lab. 

“I’m building defenses against that murderer,” Alphys stated bluntly. Sans’ eye shimmered blue slightly. His face became unreadable. 

“Alph, i think you should know, this run is a lot different from the others,” Sans confessed. His glowing eyes darted away for a second before returning to look at Alphys. 

“Obviously. I never was aware of runs before, and Chara now knows I have a…fight sequence? I think that’s what you called it. So obviously things are going to be a bit different,” Alphys readjusted her glasses after speaking. Sans sighed and made a motion as if to speak, then paused. 

“y’know how i told you that i get this kind of pain in my rib cage just before Chara exits the door in the forest?” Sans looked at Alphys. She nodded. 

“Yeah, you said you thought it was your cue to greet her at the Barrier, wasn’t it?” Alphys replied unsurely. Sans hesitated again before continuing. 

“i felt it almost immediately after the reset. but when i got there, Chara wasn’t there. there were no tracks in the snow. Pap was still alright. there were no monsters that were killed. it doesn’t make sense, Alph. i’ve always thought that the pain was my reminder to get to where I was supposed to be...but now that it has happened, and Chara hasn’t come through…” Sans trailed off, seeming lost in thought. “i just can’t...calm down.” Sans finished stiffly. 

“Sans, I have a camera set up there. I can configure the motion sensor to make an alarm when something passes by the camera so you will know when to go,” Alphys offered. Sans looked away in thought and nodded. 

“yeah, that should work. thanks, Al.” Sans grinned and held out his hand for a fist bump. Alphys fist bumped his bones and then motioned toward her computer. 

“Right now I am coding defenses for Hotland and figuring out where to strategically place them. I also have to figure out how to differentiate between a monster and the human so that a monster isn’t accidentally d-dusted,” Alphys explained. Sans took a step back and examined the code critically. 

“i got it,” Sans snaps his fingers suddenly. “have the defenses scan for the presence of determination and a soul.” Sans’ smile returned and Alphys’ eyes lit up from the idea. 

“That’s perfect! I can modify some tech from the DT extractor and that will work. Now I only need attack patterns for the machines to use,” Alphys clapped loudly in her excitement. Mettaton’s head popped through the doorway. 

“Alphys darling, the metal framing has cooled finally. All it needs is the circuitry. The Synchrotron finished charging the bioreactors and now they are safely in storage while waiting for the wiring systems,” Mettaton reported. 

“Thanks a million, Mettaton. I could not have done this without you. Sans, would you mind helping me code the defenses?” Alphys thanked Mettaton and then turned her attention to Sans. He nodded his assent. “Perfect. Mettaton, would you mind bringing the DT extractor’s reader over here and then helping brainstorm attack patterns?” Alphys asked politely. Mettaton flashed her his winning smile. 

“But of course, Alphys. I’m always willing to help,” Mettaton winked before hurrying to retrieve the piece from the machine. 

 

******************************************************************

 

“so, i was thinking you could combine Papyrus and Undyne’s attacks for the defenses, what do you think?” Sans suggested, leaning against the computer desk. 

“Those two have remarkably well put together patterns, and are fairly powerful,” Mettaton added in favor of Sans’ suggestion. 

“True, but how are we supposed to scan their patterns without them noticing and asking questions?” Alphys countered, playing the Devil’s Advocate. 

“we could just watch them the next time they spar and Mettaton could record it for one of his shows,” Sans shrugged. 

“That can be done.” Mettaton affirmed. 

“Guys, I don’t want the entire Underground seeing them sparring, what if someone made the offhand comment to Papyrus that Undyne wasn’t going to let him in the Royal Guard? Or something even worse? It’s not worth the risk,” Alphys countered. 

“Then I could say that I was going to make a show later, but record the footage then?” Mettaton offered. 

“Yeah, then that could work,” Alphys affirmed, “Great job with that idea guys, let’s get to work. We still have to add in the wiring before we can code the attacks.” Alphys made a noise of exhaustion at the thought of pulling  _ another _ all nighter. 

But there was no time to rest. They had a time limit. If Alphys was going to keep her promise, she had to be waiting... ready for Chara’s wrath.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of stuff happened this chapter, huh? Looks like Chara is determined to make the game glitch. Alphys is trying to protect everyone. Sans is trying to figure out what is happening. I wonder who’s debating if Mettaton was let in on the real reason Alphys is building these defenses. More plot, angst, and drama next chapter. Also, killing Toriel killed me on the inside, you don’t understand. The editor of this AT had to handle me crying for a couple of hours.  
> Also, in honor of pride month, there will be some extra Alphyne in the next chapter that I didn't plan for, originally. I love you guys and hope that you have a wonderful morning/afternoon/evening wherever you are. ;-)  
> -Cherokee_Goat_Mom


End file.
